National African American History Month, 1999
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
The story of African Americans is one of strength, suffering, courage,
and triumph. Arriving on these shores more than 350 years ago, African
Americans have been a central element of our national identity, and
their long journey from the horrors of slavery and oppression through
the struggle for equality and justice informs our national experience.
By observing African American History Month each year, we not only
remember the tragic errors of our past, but also celebrate the
achievements of African Americans and the promise they hold for our
future as one America.
This year's theme, "The Legacy of African American Leadership for the
Present and the Future," is a recognition that we can draw strength
and inspiration to face our challenges from the vision, voices,
character, and accomplishments of the many extraordinary African
Americans who have gone before us. These gifted men and women, from
every walk of life and every field of endeavor, were shaped but not
defeated by their experience of racism, and their response was to move
our Nation closer to our ideals of freedom, justice, and equality.
We remember Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, whose powerful
firsthand accounts of their lives as slaves and the moral strength of
their argument helped create the momentum that brought an end to
slavery in America. In our own century, we all have benefited from the
skills, determination, and indefatigable spirit of such African
American leaders as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, A. Philip
Randolph, Ella Baker, Thurgood Marshall, Medgar Evers, and Martin
Luther King, Jr. Whether organizing peaceful demonstrations, creating
educational and economic opportunities, fighting Jim Crow laws in the
courts, or conducting peaceful protests, they awakened the conscience
of our Nation and won signal victories for justice and human dignity.
We recall the courage of the Little Rock Nine, who opened the doors of
American education for so many other deserving young people. We
remember the strength of Rosa Parks, who stood up for civil rights by
sitting down where she belonged. We continue to draw inspiration from
the leadership of Dorothy Height, who has done so much to strengthen
families and communities not only in our own Nation, but also around
the world.
These and so many other African American leaders have enriched our
national life and shaped our national character. They have challenged
us to recognize that America's racial, cultural, and ethnic diversity
will be among our greatest strengths in the 21st century.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim
February 1999 as National African American History Month. I call upon
public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the
United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies,
activities, and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of
African American history.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of
February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-third.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
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